JP5181686B2 - Image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus including a recording head that discharges droplets and a transport unit that transports a sheet.

  As an image forming apparatus such as a printer, a facsimile machine, a copying apparatus, a plotter, and a complex machine of these, for example, an ink jet recording apparatus is known as an image forming apparatus of a liquid discharge recording method using a recording head for discharging ink droplets. . This liquid discharge recording type image forming apparatus ejects ink droplets from a recording head onto a conveyed paper to form an image (recording, printing, printing, and printing are also used synonymously). Serial type image forming device that forms an image by ejecting droplets while the recording head moves in the main scanning direction, and a line type that forms images by ejecting droplets without the recording head moving There is a line type image forming apparatus using a head.

  In the present application, “image forming apparatus” means an apparatus for forming an image by landing ink on a medium such as paper, thread, fiber, fabric, leather, metal, plastic, glass, wood, ceramics, etc. "Image formation" is not only the application of images with meanings such as characters and figures to the medium, but also the addition of images with no meaning such as patterns to the medium (simply applying droplets to the medium) Also means landing). The “ink” is not limited to the ink, but is used as a general term for all liquids that can perform image formation, such as a recording liquid, a fixing processing liquid, and a liquid. The term “paper” is not limited to paper, but includes the above-described OHP sheet, cloth, and the like, and means that ink droplets adhere to the recording medium, recording medium, recording paper, recording It is used as a general term for what includes what is called paper.

  Such an ink ejection type image forming apparatus includes a maintenance / recovery mechanism that maintains and recovers the performance of a recording head that ejects ink droplets. This head maintenance / recovery mechanism (device) sucks and discharges the ink that has been thickened from the nozzle, and a moisturizing cap member for covering the nozzle surface (surface on which the nozzle is formed) of the recording head with high sealing performance. A suction cap connected to suction means such as a suction pump (also used as a moisturizing cap), and a wiper member (wiper, wiper blade) for wiping and removing ink adhering to the nozzle surface ), A wiper cleaner (wiper cleaning member) for cleaning the wiper member, and an empty discharge receiver for discharging empty droplets that do not contribute to image formation.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes that the head unit is rotated and moved to a vertical position, and the head unit in an upright position is moved to a position facing the maintenance unit to perform maintenance.
JP 2003-11377 A

Patent Document 2 describes that a maintenance unit is arranged downstream of the head unit in the recording medium conveyance direction in order to capping an unused head unit even during printing.
JP 2002-59559 A

Next, regarding a conveyance unit in an image forming apparatus, for example, in Patent Document 3, when a jam occurs during conveyance of a sheet, a sheet is formed using a conveyance belt in order to widen a space between the recording head and the conveyance unit. The image recording state in which the recording medium can be conveyed by bringing the recording medium close to the respective ink discharge ports arranged in the conveyance direction, and the entire image forming unit and the ink discharge port are separated from each other. It is described that the means includes release means that are in a substantially parallel state or an inclined state.
Japanese Patent No. 2816217

Next, when an image is formed by the ink ejection method, a gap between the recording head and the sheet conveyance surface (gap between the heads) must be maintained. It is described that the gap between the heads is adjusted to be constant by installing on a sliding mechanism having a moving means and detecting the surface position of the recording medium. In addition, there are also Patent Documents 5 and 6 regarding gap regulation.
JP-A-11-105376 JP 2005-138371 A Japanese Patent No. 3025110

  By the way, in the image forming apparatus, in order to improve the printing speed, by arranging one recording head or a plurality of recording heads in which nozzles are arranged in a length corresponding to the entire width of the sheet, the length corresponding to the entire width of the sheet is set. In addition, a line type head in which nozzles are arranged has been used. In order to perform maintenance and recovery of such a line-type head, generally, a plurality of line-type heads and maintenance and recovery mechanisms (maintenance mechanism and cleaning mechanism) are alternately arranged along the paper transport direction to maintain the line-type head and maintenance. The recovery mechanism performs maintenance and recovery by repeatedly moving relatively alternately, or the maintenance and recovery mechanism is disposed beside the paper transport path, that is, outside the paper transport path in the direction orthogonal to the paper transport path, A configuration is adopted in which the line-type head is moved to a maintenance / recovery mechanism that is rotated and arranged.

  However, in a configuration in which a plurality of line-type heads and maintenance / recovery mechanisms (maintenance mechanism, cleaning mechanism) are alternately arranged along the sheet conveyance direction, the configuration becomes complicated. Also, with this configuration, the distance between the plurality of line-type heads becomes long, and landing position deviation between colors is likely to occur. Furthermore, in the configuration in which the maintenance / recovery mechanism is arranged beside the paper conveyance path, there is a problem that the depth of the apparatus becomes large.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and in particular, maintenance and recovery in a line-type image forming apparatus can be performed with a simple configuration without increasing the depth of the apparatus, and the distance between a plurality of colors. It aims to be able to shorten.

In order to solve the above problems, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention provides:
A head unit including a line-type recording head for discharging droplets;
An ink tank that supplies liquid to the line-type recording head via a supply tube;
Conveying means for conveying the paper facing the recording head;
A maintenance / recovery unit disposed on the downstream side of the transport unit in the paper transport direction and performing maintenance / recovery of the line-type recording head;
And a head moving means for moving in both directions between a position corresponding to the position and the maintenance recovery means corresponding to said conveying means along said head unit in the sheet conveying direction,
The head moving means is configured to move the head unit, the supply tube, and the ink tank integrally .

According to the present invention , the maintenance and recovery can be performed with a simple configuration, the depth of the apparatus is not increased, and the maintenance and recovery means are not arranged between the heads, so that a plurality of heads can be narrowed. And the distance between each color can be shortened.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, an image forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a schematic perspective view for explaining the entire configuration of the image forming apparatus, FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining the same, and FIG.

  This image forming apparatus is opposed to a head unit 1 composed of a line-type recording head that discharges droplets, an ink supply unit 2 that supplies ink to the recording head of the head unit 1, and a recording head of the head unit 1. Are arranged on the downstream side of the conveyance unit 3 in the sheet conveyance direction, and are used for line-type recording of the head unit 1. A maintenance / recovery unit 5 as a maintenance / recovery means for performing head maintenance / recovery, a paper discharge unit 6, a position corresponding to the transport unit 3 along the paper transport direction, and a position corresponding to the maintenance / recovery unit 5 And a head moving means 7 that moves in both directions (in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1).

  The head unit 1 comprises four rows of recording heads 11 configured by arranging a plurality of heads 11a for discharging droplets, that is, black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). A plurality of recording heads 11y, 11m, 11c, and 11k that discharge inks that are liquids of respective colors (hereinafter, when colors are not distinguished, codes without sub-codes y, m, c, and k are used. The same applies to the members and the like.) Is arranged along the sheet conveyance direction and is held by the base member 12.

  The ink supply unit 2 that supplies ink of each color to each recording head 11 of the head unit 1 includes a main tank unit including a replaceable main tank (ink cartridge) that stores ink of each color (not shown), and ink from the main tank. A sub tank (ink tank) 21 to be supplied, and a branching section 22 to which ink is supplied from the sub tank 21 via a supply tube 23, and the supplied ink is branched and supplied to each head 11a via a supply tube 24. In addition, a water head difference is provided between each sub tank 21 and the recording head 11 of the head unit 1 to generate a required negative pressure in the recording head 11.

  The head unit 1 is held by a base member 12. The base member 12 includes a first base member 12A that holds the head unit 1, and a second base member 12B that holds the first base member 12A so as to be movable at least in the vertical direction. It consists of and. On the second base member 12B, the sub tank 21 and the branching portion 22 of the ink supply unit 2 are also held.

  The second base member 12B is connected to a timing belt 74 wound around the driving roller 72 and the driven roller 72 of the head moving means 7, and the driving roller 72 is rotationally driven by the driving motor 75, thereby causing the sheet to move. It is moved along the transport direction. As a result, the head unit 1 is moved in both directions between the position corresponding to the transport unit 3 and the position corresponding to the maintenance / recovery unit 5 along the paper transport direction.

  In this way, the head unit 1 and the sub tank 21 of the ink supply unit 2 are also held on the base member 12 (here, the second base member 12B) and moved integrally, whereby the ink from the sub tank 21 to the recording head 11 is obtained. Problems such as changes in internal pressure due to deformation of the supply tube can be prevented. Note that in the case of a system in which ink is directly supplied from the ink cartridge to the head instead of the sub tank supply system, the ink cartridge itself can be held by the second base member.

  The transport unit 3 includes a transport belt 31 that transports the paper P separated from the paper feed unit 4 one by one by the separation roller 41 and the paper feed roller 42 to face the head unit 1. The conveyor belt 31 is an endless belt that is looped between the conveyor drive roller 32 and the conveyor driven roller 33, and a plurality of holes (not shown) are formed on the surface. An air suction fan (suction fan 34) for sucking the paper P is disposed. Further, the transport unit 3 is provided with a gap adjusting means 35 that regulates a gap between the nozzle surface of the recording head 11 of the head unit 1 and the surface of the transport belt 41 (paper transport surface).

  The transport driving roller 32 is rotated by a motor (not shown), so that the transport belt 41 rotates. The paper P is sucked onto the transport belt 31 by the suction fan 34 and is transported by the peripheral movement of the transport belt 31. Note that the suction of the sheet is not limited to suction, but may be configured to be held by electrostatic suction or adhesion.

  In this transport unit 6, the transport belt 31, the suction fan 34, the gap adjusting means 35 and the like are integrally rotated with the driven roller 33 on the upstream side in the paper transport direction as a fulcrum and the drive roller 32 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction is lowered. Between the home position (position shown by solid line: first position) close to the recording head 11 (head unit 1) and the release position (position shown by broken line: second position) separated from the recording head 10. It can be displaced in the direction of arrow B. By adopting a configuration in which the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction of the conveyance unit 3 is lowered and released, it becomes easy to take out jammed paper in the case of a jam, and the head unit 1 is moved to the maintenance / recovery mechanism 5 side. The possibility of interference between the nozzle surface of the recording head 11 of the unit 1 and the conveying belt 31 can be prevented.

  The release mechanism 8 that displaces the transport unit 3 between the home position and the release position includes a transport unit release drive motor 81 and a sector gear 83 to which the rotation of the drive motor 81 is transmitted via a pinion 82. The transport unit release drive motor 81 and the pinion 82 are fixed to the base side (apparatus housing side) of the image forming apparatus, the sector gear 83 is fixed to the unit frame side of the transport unit 3 (not shown), and the sector gear 83 is rotated by the pinion 82 rotating. Moves, that is, the transport unit 3 is turned and displaced. Although a power transmission mechanism such as a timing belt or a gear is used from the conveyance belt release drive motor 81 to the pinion 82, the illustration is simplified.

  The maintenance / recovery unit 5 includes a cap member 51 for capping the nozzle surface of the recording head 11. A conveyance guide member 9 covering the maintenance recovery unit 5 is disposed above the maintenance recovery unit 5, and the conveyance guide member 9 rotates in the direction of arrow C to open the maintenance recovery unit 5. And a position indicated by a solid line for guiding the sheet from the transport unit 3 can be taken.

  The paper discharge unit 6 includes an end fence 61 and a side fence (not shown).

Next, the maintenance and recovery operation of the image forming apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG.
When performing the maintenance / recovery operation (cleaning) of the recording head 11 of the head unit 1, the transport unit 3 is rotated in the arrow B1 direction to the release position, and the transport guide member 9 is rotated in the arrow C1 direction. The upper part of the maintenance / recovery unit 5 is opened, and the drive motor 75 of the head moving means 7 is driven, so that the head unit 1 is moved in the direction of the arrow A1 along with the base member 12 and stops on the maintenance / recovery unit 5. To do.

  Thereafter, the nozzle surface of the recording head 11 is capped by the cap member 51, and a maintenance recovery operation is performed in which ink in the recording head 11 is sucked from the nozzle by a pump suction unit (not shown) through the cap member 51. After the nozzle suction as the maintenance and recovery operation is completed, the head unit 1 returns to the original printing position on the transport unit 3 again, and the transport guide member 9 is closed and printing is possible.

  As described above, the maintenance / recovery means for maintaining and recovering the line type recording head is provided on the downstream side in the paper transport direction of the transport means, and the head unit corresponds to the position corresponding to the transport means along the paper transport direction and the maintenance / recovery means. By adopting a configuration in which it is moved in both directions with respect to the position to be moved, maintenance and recovery can be performed with a simple configuration, and the depth of the image forming apparatus is not increased. In addition, since a plurality of recording heads can be arranged in the paper conveyance direction and the intervals between them are reduced, the distance between the respective colors is shortened, the landing position deviation is reduced, and the image quality is improved.

Next, the gap adjusting operation in this image forming apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
The gap adjusting means 35 is composed of an eccentric cam 36 attached to a rotary shaft 36, and the rotary shaft 36 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) so that the rotational angle position is detected by an encoder. Note that rotation angle control by a stepping motor can also be performed.

  First, as shown in FIG. 5, when the transport unit 3 is at the home position, the eccentric cam 37 of the gap adjusting means 35 contacts the first base member 12A of the head unit 1, and the first base member 12A is the second base member. Since the member 12B is lifted, the gap between the transport unit 3 and the nozzle surface of the recording head 11 of the head unit 1 is set to a height corresponding to the rotational position of the eccentric cam 37 of the gap adjusting means 35. It is prescribed.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the transport unit 3 is rotated to the release position, the eccentric cam 37 of the gap adjusting means 35 is separated from the first base member 12 </ b> A of the head unit 1, and the head unit 1. The first base member 12A descends by its own weight and contacts the second base member 12B in the direction of the arrow.

  Therefore, as described above, after the head unit 1 is maintained and recovered, the head unit 1 is returned to the position facing the transport unit 3, and then the transport unit 3 is rotated to the home position shown in FIG. Thus, the gap between the head unit 1 and the transport unit 3 is automatically adjusted to an amount corresponding to the rotational position of the eccentric cam 37.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, since the eccentric cam 37 of the gap adjusting means 35 is rotated by the rotating shaft 36, the nozzle surface 11 A of the recording head of the head unit 1 and the sheet conveyance according to the rotational position of the eccentric cam 37. The gap G with the surface (the surface of the conveyor belt 31) can be arbitrarily adjusted. FIGS. 7A to 7C show examples in which a gap G1> G2> G3 is satisfied.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory plan view of a main part for explaining the embodiment.
Here, the recording head 111 is configured to have a nozzle row for one line. Therefore, in this case, the cap member 511 of the maintenance / recovery unit 5 is also configured to be capped with a length of one line.

Next, still another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 is a schematic perspective explanatory view for explaining the embodiment, FIG. 10 is a principal side sectional explanatory view, and FIG. 11 is a principal plan explanatory view.
Here, the positioning hole 15 is provided in the first base member 12A of the head unit 1, the positioning pin 39 that can be engaged with the positioning hole 15 is provided in the transport unit 3, and the transport unit 3 is returned from the release position to the home position. Sometimes, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the positioning pin 39 enters the positioning hole 15 and engages with it, thereby positioning the transport unit 3 and the head unit 1. The head unit 1 is biased by a spring (not shown) in the direction of arrow E in FIG. 10, and when the positioning pin 39 engages with the positioning hole 15, it abuts against one side wall surface of the positioning hole 15 (FIG. 11).

1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. It is side surface schematic explanatory drawing similarly. Similarly it is principal part plane explanatory drawing. It is explanatory drawing similarly used for description of a maintenance recovery operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing similarly used for description of gap regulation adjustment operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing of a gap regulation cancellation | release state similarly. It is explanatory drawing similarly used for description of gap adjustment, It is a plane explanatory view used for description of other embodiments of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective explanatory drawing explaining the whole structure of the image forming apparatus which concerns on further another embodiment of this invention. It is a principal part side cross-section explanatory drawing of a positioning part. It is a principal part plane explanatory drawing of a positioning part similarly.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Head unit 2 ... Ink supply part 3 ... Conveyance unit 4 ... Paper feed part 5 ... Maintenance recovery unit 6 ... Paper discharge part 7 ... Head moving means 8 ... Paper discharge unit cancellation | release mechanism 9 ... Conveyance guide member 11 ... Recording head 12 ... Base member 12A ... First base member 12B ... Second base member 21 ... Sub tank 31 ... Conveyor belt 32 ... Drive roller 33 ... Driven roller 34 ... Air adsorption fan (suction fan)
51. Cap member

Claims (6)

A head unit including a line-type recording head for discharging droplets;
An ink tank that supplies liquid to the line-type recording head via a supply tube;
Conveying means for conveying the paper facing the recording head;
A maintenance / recovery unit disposed on the downstream side of the transport unit in the paper transport direction and performing maintenance / recovery of the line-type recording head;
And a head moving means for moving in both directions between a position corresponding to the position and the maintenance recovery means corresponding to said conveying means along said head unit in the sheet conveying direction,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the head moving unit moves the head unit, the supply tube, and the ink tank integrally . The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conveyance guide member that is openable and closable between a position where the maintenance / recovery unit is opened and a position where the sheet is guided, above the maintenance / recovery unit. Image forming apparatus.   3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying unit is arranged to be displaceable between a home position close to the recording head and a release position separated from the recording head. Image forming apparatus.   4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the conveyance unit includes a conveyance belt wound around at least two rollers, and rotates to the release position with a roller on the upstream side in the sheet conveyance direction as a fulcrum. An image forming apparatus characterized by being provided.   5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transport unit regulates a gap between a nozzle surface of a recording head of the head unit and a paper transport surface by the transport unit when the transport unit is at a home position. An image forming apparatus comprising a gap regulating means. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a first base member that holds the head unit, a second base member that holds the first base member so as to be movable at least in the vertical direction , and holds the ink tank. And the gap regulating means moves the first base member at least in the vertical direction with respect to the second base member .

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